Dental Cement & Gum Disease

Hey everyone. I have a few generals questions that I'd like to ask. Mainly since the answers do not appear to be floating around the interwebs. But also because I believe some of these concerns apply directly to me.

A brief medical history:
-twenty two years old
-no family history of gum disease
-not diabetic
-just one single relative diagnosed with diabetes. (grandfather)
-no immune compromising illnesses or autoimmune diseases. hiv/aids, lupus, etcetera.
-no drugs. medication or otherwise. including smoking, drinking, or chewing tobacco.

Apparently it's considered odd for someone of my age/health to be diagnosed with sever periodontal disease. There is only one thing that I can think of-
When I had a fixed retainer installed. (2003) The nurse intern applied the dental cement directly to my gumline. Can dental cement cause periodontal disease?

Dental cement cannot, of itself, cause gum disease; but if it overhangs the gum can trap plaque which is the cause.
There are genetic tests for susceptibility to gum disease but there is controversy as to how reliable or useful they are.
You need to see a hygeinist for treatment and instruction in plaque removal.
The Waterpic is worth getting as an aid in oral hygeine.

Just wondering if you actually have periodontal disease caused by plaque buildup which traps bacteria beneath the gum surfaces and destroys the tissue and then attacks the underlying bone and so forth or are you just experiencing gum recession or a reduction in bone mass or bulk?

My periodontal disease was apparently misdiagnosed due to metal band braces resulting in some gingival (sp?) pockets that really were not due to any type of disease or bacteria or plaque but I did the flap surgery based on one drs recommendation. I was recently told by 2 other periodontists that I have no evidence of ever having peridontal disease - and that even when it is treated with flap surgery some evidence of it always remains and that its possible I instead had residual pockets caused by the braces and that instead of doing the more invasive flap surgery to treat such pockets a less invasive surgery should have been performed just to correct the pockets.

Also a poor bite can also cause gum recession - if that is really what you have going on - as can crowns and partials - so I would research further your suspicion of whether or not the fixed retainer is in some way causing this or even perhaps how your teeth now meet together. Its just a suggestion, but perhaps you should also get a 2nd and 3rd opinion regarding the diagnosis of "advanced periodontal disease".

@ riptoff - Thanks, I forgot about waterpics. It wouldn't have helped then. But it can certainly help now. When I said I had a fixed retainer installed what I meant to say was: All of the gum on the backside of my front teeth were completely and totally concealed in cement. While all of my bottom front teeth were cemented together. (in between each tooth) I've been told that the cement is supposed to only be on the tooth itself. Just like braces. I was a teenager back then.... It's not like you have fix retainers installed everyday. So I didn't know it was installed wrong.

@ Thelma-Louise - After reading that I decided it would be best to get another opinion. There are no oral surgeons available until after Thanksgiving break anyways. But yeah.... I had no idea if these appliances could cause pockets. Even without periodontal disease. I certainly appreciate the heads up.